Check out our November newsletter!
November 2025
THE TRUSTED ADVISOR
Listen First, Speak Second
MASTERING THE ART OF MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION
Communication can make or break almost everything in your life, like your business relationships, friendships, marriage, and even how well you heal after an injury. We’ve seen how a single miscommunication can cause unnecessary stress, while an honest discussion at the right time can completely change the outcome. World Communication Week (Nov. 1–7) and Better Conversation Week (Nov. 23–29) take place this month, and they’re perfect reminders to slow down, listen closely, and be more intentional in how we talk to the people around us. Zac: Good communication comes down to something my wife taught me: Seek to understand and then to be understood. We’ve all jumped to conclusions or assumed things at some point before we had all the answers. However, if you approach discussions with the intention of understanding the situation, you will be a more effective communicator. It’s not always easy, but it can make a big difference in how a conversation turns out. When there is a misunderstanding, communication is how you ensure everyone’s on the same page. You will not get along with or agree with someone’s position or belief in every discussion, but it’s not appropriate to invalidate their feelings. Even if your opinions are in total opposition, you should still strive to see where the other person is coming from. We can have differing thoughts while respecting each other and coming to an agreement.
In the legal world, communication is essential, and we often stress to our team how important it is to communicate openly with clients. People who work with us need to know they can reach out, and we also need to make sure our clients are speaking with their medical care providers effectively. When people are injured, it’s hard for many to admit they’re struggling or the full extent of the situation. But, you have to be honest, open, and truthful with your doctors if you want the help and healing you need to move forward. Nick: So much of effective communication is not about what you say, but how you say it. You must become a great listener to be a stronger communicator. One of the best tools I’ve learned for this, especially in a hostile situation, is to repeat what someone said. People crave validation, and in situations where you disagree with their position, you can still let them know you heard them and understand how they feel. One of the biggest complaints any law firm faces is a lack of client communication. Most of the time, clients are dealing with an injury that wasn’t their fault, throwing their lives upside down. We practice law, so we deal with car accidents and slip and falls every day, but the average human doesn’t. Most people have never faced something like this before, so they rely on regular updates and guidance from us to help relieve the high amount of anxiety that comes with a case. If something needs to be discussed, do so immediately so it doesn’t become a huge ordeal. You may think it’s small, but 20 small things will build up into one enormous misunderstanding. Face even the minor things with good communication early on to resolve them so they don’t linger. Your body language will also say a lot. With our digital world, so much can be taken out of context in an email or text. You can’t see if their arms are folded or pick up on their tone as you could on a phone call or in person. Smile or show empathy in your conversations, even on a phone call, because it will change the message the other person receives. At the end of the day, good communication is about trust and attentiveness. Slow down, really listen, and seek to understand before you speak.
NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000 1 – Zac Leacox & Nick Norden
GETTING OUT OF BED LONG BEFORE THE SNOOZE BUTTON Before Smartphones, There Was Water
Members of Generation Z may find it difficult to believe that people used plug-in alarm clocks to help them get up on time in the morning. However, that seemingly archaic means of timekeeping has nothing on how people managed wake-up time before cellphones and even electricity, as we use it today, became staples of daily life. In the 4th century BCE, the Greek philosopher Plato created a method to ensure students at his academy, which once counted Aristotle among its pupils, woke up at the correct time each day. To perfect a foolproof system, he turned to a surprising tool: water. He constructed a set of clocks that operated using two basins. One basin would slowly empty into the other throughout the night; when the second basin was full, rattling pebbles or whistling air awakened students from their slumber. Known as klepsydra (or “water thief”) clocks, these timekeepers were astonishingly accurate. About a century later, Greek inventor Ctesibius of Alexandria expanded on Plato’s design by incorporating mechanics that produced sounds not unlike those of the more modern cuckoo clock. Ctesibius’s version remained popular until the pendulum clock emerged in the 1650s.
Although Plato often gets credit for creating aquatic-based alarms, some variation of the klepsydra concept allegedly dates back to at least the 16th century BCE. Archaeologists uncovered a tomb inscription detailing how an Egyptian court official of the era devised a similar system. Regardless of its definitive inventor, the water clock roused people long before phone apps, proving that nature often provides solutions to problems centuries before human technology catches up.
While the water clock was undoubtedly an imaginative masterstroke, it is still reasonable to argue that the “snooze” button remains the most critical time- related creation known to man.
YOU CAN’T EVEN MAKE UP THESE STRANGE FOOD RULES Ice Cream in Your Pocket?
Finger-Licking Fun … or Else! On the subject of making a mess with food items, eating chicken with your hands can be a sticky thrill, and is the only way to partake in
When it comes to state laws about food, specific provisions on the books from past years may leave a funny taste in your mouth, and potentially get you in a heap of trouble if you break them. This fact is especially true in parts of the South, where your lunch order may need to come with a side of legal advice.
poultry eating without running a-fowl of the law in Gainesville, Georgia. If you want to enjoy tasty chicken in that city, stock up on wet wipes and skip the knife and fork, as eating it with utensils is a crime. Although the ordinance banning knives and forks when consuming chicken was meant as a joke by the local police department, chucking the rule may draw some
Cones and Captured Horses If you want to stay on the good side of law enforcement in Alabama, always remember that ice cream cones are for licking, not sticking in your back pocket. While it’s pretty safe to assume the thought of
engaging in the latter activity hasn’t crossed a single mind in 2025, there was a time when horse thieves would stick ice cream in their pockets to attract equine abductees. Considering that we rarely share the highway with horses these days and most people would prefer not to turn the seat of their pants into a sundae, it’s a safe bet this charge won’t fill up courtrooms for the foreseeable future.
disapproving clucks when dining in the place affectionately known by locals and city officials as “the Poultry Capital of the World,” especially during its renowned Spring Chicken Festival. Perhaps only a good lawyer can help determine whether the law also applies to vegan “chik’n” options.
2 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
Dividing Homes, Not Hearts
Co-Parent Like a Pro After Separation
Divorce or separation is often stressful, but it should never be used to draw battle lines for your children. Dissolving a marriage or partnership can be as logistically challenging as it is emotionally draining, especially when developing a positive and effective co-parenting situation. Here are a few suggestions for creating and sustaining clear communication and responsibilities when you and your former spouse/ partner no longer live or parent under the same roof. The Key Steps Toward Stability First and foremost, all co-parenting arrangements need a consistent plan for success. A written co-parenting plan should include the custody agreement, travel and/or relocation considerations, financial responsibilities for both parties, schedules (e.g., school pick-up/drop-off times and who is responsible for fulfilling these commitments), and details regarding the child’s education and health care needs. A document of this nature
helps solidify both parties’ involvement and holds each accountable for what they’ve agreed to do on the child’s behalf. Additionally, it helps prevent disagreements or misunderstandings that could lead to arguing in front of the child/children, a scenario to avoid as much as possible. While a divorce may present logistical obstacles for one or both parents, it is critical to work toward maintaining the child’s existing friendships and activities, even if they require spending more time
with one spouse over the other. For example, if your child’s best friend lives closer to your ex- spouse, accommodating the continuation of this close relationship will help your child maintain a sense of normalcy. The Risks of Reticent Relationships When the end of a marriage or relationship results in a breakdown in communication or cooperation, these fractured ties can have a potentially devastating impact on your child. Common effects of unhealthy co-parenting on children include reduced performance at school, lowered self-esteem, and difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships with others. If communication has devolved into acrimony or has resulted in either side failing to fulfill their parental duties, seeking counseling from a trained professional is one way to help steer the ship in the best possible direction for your child’s health and peace of mind.
Have a
Slow Cooker Brisket
Laugh
Ingredients •
1 (1-oz) envelope onion soup mix 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• •
2 bay leaves
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• • • •
• • • • • •
1 lb baby golden potatoes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large sweet onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 3-lb piece of beef brisket (flat cut) 8 fresh thyme sprigs 8 whole garlic cloves
2 1/2 cups beef stock
• •
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
Directions 1. In a small bowl, combine soup mix, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over brisket. 2. Place meat, fat cap side down, into an 8-qt slow cooker. 3. Top brisket with thyme, garlic, bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion. 4. Whisk stock, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch until fully dissolved. Add to slow cooker. 5. Cover and cook on high for 5–6 hours until tender. 6. Remove to a cutting board, fat side up. Remove thyme and bay leaves. 7. Thinly slice brisket against the grain. 8. Serve with vegetables, drizzled with gravy from the slow cooker.
Inspired by ThePioneerWoman.com
3 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
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Inside This Edition
1 How Communication Shapes Every Part of Your Life 2 What Snooze Button? The Ingenious Ways People Used to Wake Up
Who Knew Eating Could Get You in Legal Trouble?
3 Slow Cooker Brisket
Divorce Isn’t Easy, but Co-Parenting Can Be 4 The Chocolate Event That Had Kids Crying, Not Smiling
When AI Marketing Goes Horribly Wrong Willy’s Ruined Chocolate Experience
Never fail to deliver on a promise of chocolate to children.
warehouse. The scenery was cheap, while the actors struggled to perform through hastily provided scripts. One character, The Unknown, was a masked and frighteningly attired figure that prompted youngsters to recoil and cry in fear. Perhaps most disturbingly, there was no chocolate to be found.
4 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000 Unfortunately, what attendees experienced when “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” arrived that February was far from a fairy tale. Instead of rivers of sweets, they were treated to half-filled cups of lemonade and (in some instances) a single jellybean served in what appeared to be an abandoned House of Illuminati, a London-based event company, learned this lesson the hard way when it hosted what angry parents and disappointed kids in Glasgow considered one of the biggest scams in children’s entertainment history. The disastrous day went from offering scant amounts of lemonade and jellybeans to prompting cries of terror and calls to Scottish police, and artificial intelligence was at least partially to blame. In early 2024, social media feeds in the U.K. were abuzz with vibrant images promoting “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” an immersive event boasting chocolate fountains, costumed characters, and “a day of pure imagination and wonder.” Naturally, people assumed the event was a tie-in with the then-recently released film “Wonka” and a nod to the imaginary world created by the classic 1971 movie “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.”
Naturally, people called the police amid demands for refunds, and the lackluster affair was shut down. Subsequent revelations that creators used AI to generate the online marketing images and that the $44 event was not an officially sanctioned “Wonka” undertaking also brought into question House of Illuminati owner Billy Coull’s background, including his history of publishing AI-generated books on conspiracy theories and taboo subjects. Although Coull’s fraudulent and exploitative marketing scheme was reprehensible, it’s far from his worst transgression. Around the time House of Illuminati was shuttered in late 2024, he was forced to register as a sex offender after it was revealed he had followed up his “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” fiasco by sending unwanted explicit messages and images to an unidentified woman.
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